Malnutrition-The Silent Killer

Around the world, 852 million people do not have an adequate amount of food and 214 million of these people are chronically malnourished. The Food and Agriculture Organization recommends a daily caloric intake of 2350, and these malnourished individuals may not even intake half of that amount in a day. Even if they do meet calorie recommendations, these people are lacking important nutrients such as fats, proteins, vitamins and micronutrients, such as iron. Everyday about 25,000 people die due to hunger or hunger-related causes and about 16,000 of these people are children. Malnutrition accounts for 54% of childhood deaths. Impoverished, malnourished people are caught in a terrible cycle. They lack the money needed to purchase adequate food and therefore become weak and sick, unable to work productively to get more money. In developed nations, people spend an average of $10.00/day on food. In poor developing nations, a daily food ration from the World Food Program costs only $0.29 and still, many people cannot receive the amount of food necessary to lead a basic lifestyle.